Writing propaganda for non - totalitarian governments.

[BohandiAnsoid]

While propaganda is naturally associated with totalitarian regimes,they are not the only ones who use it. In fact, I think every government has some propaganda.

So, when writing propaganda for non - totalitarian governments, especially in science fiction (like my UNSF anti - Bohandi propaganda, Bajoran anti - Cardassian propaganda (for non - Bajorans) or Terran Alliance anti - Drengin propaganda in Galactic Civilizations universe) context, how should I do it? For context, both Bohandi and Drengin are totalitarian themselves.

Note: Here is what I wrote about UNSF once, for context:

United Nations Space Force (my own version of humanity) : r/scifiwriting

Note: I am not sure if I posted it in right place, so moderators should feel free to move it to a more apropriate place if they think so.

 

[David cgc]

I think it might be instructive that if you consider that in British English, “propaganda” doesn’t have the same pejorative connotation that it does in American English, and is used neutrally where an American would say something like “public relations.”

You might consider also if your governments put a high premium on honesty and trustworthiness, which will influence how willing they are to stretch the truth to make their point-of-view appealing.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Something like this.

 

[Nerys Myk]

So, when writing propaganda for non - totalitarian governments, especially in science fiction (like my UNSF anti - Bohandi propaganda, Bajoran anti - Cardassian propaganda (for non - Bajorans) or Terran Alliance anti - Drengin propaganda in Galactic Civilizations universe) context, how should I do it? For context, both Bohandi and Drengin are totalitarian themselves.

Eh I think all governments take the same approach. Look at Allied propaganda from WWII or Cold War propaganda by the West.

 

[Gaith]

when writing propaganda for non - totalitarian governments, especially in science fiction (like my UNSF anti - Bohandi propaganda

There's no such thing as fiction that's propaganda against a fictional race/people; that's just plain fiction (even if it has potentially unsavory overtones).

 

[Morpheus 02]

@BohandiAnsoid , what's the purpose for the propaganda (in regards to the story). Is it supposed to show why they are the good guy? Or is it to explain the motivations of any antagonists, rebels, etc (which would drive the story conflict)?

If it's the latter, the propaganda should be doing things like making people who have objections or concerns feel minimized, like their concerns don't matter.


I find one of the hardest things with multiculturalsim is, even more than different priorities, is when one group places a much higher priority on an issue that another group.


The other big thing will be brading EVERYONE with an objection/different view in the same boat, and not acknowledging any nuance. So for example, in America, there are natuaralized citizens who went through a procress, as well as African Americans who had years of negclect in their community, who have raised objections to migrants in their community. The propaganda against these protesters lumps them in with extreme xenophobes, and thus making those groups feel even more oppressed

 

[Timewalker]

There's no such thing as fiction that's propaganda against a fictional race/people; that's just plain fiction (even if it has potentially unsavory overtones).

Propaganda that's part of a story is still propaganda.

Y'know what? Back in the 1970s and '80s, SF author F.M. Busby wrote a series of novels about the Hulzein family, in a dystopian near-future setting that had government by corporations that began in the U.S. (because the current form of government was financially unsustainable, and overrun by climate refugees from other parts of the world).

One of them annexed Canada and Mexico (sounds familiar on the nightly news now, since Trump won't shut up about it). The next one that took over decided to take over the entire planet, by whatever means it had to. The only holdouts were Argentina and Australia, both controlled by different factions of the Hulzeins (very wealthy in money and resources and had the means to keep the corporations out).

I met Busby at a convention in the late 1980s and mentioned seeing things on the news that suggested that some things in his books could come to pass (government by corporation, for instance), and there were already rumblings about Total Welfare - locking up the homeless, the low-income who couldn't pay their bills and forcing them to work off their debt - but the system was structured so hardly any of them ever managed it. Total Welfare eventually became a dumping ground for political prisoners, as well.

Busby disagreed with me, saying, "They're only stories." He died before a lot of the real crap in the 2000s started, and I've sometimes wondered what he would make of today's world. It's right out of a number of SF works I can think of, like The Handmaid's Tale. Atwood wrote that as a warning, but there's a faction in the U.S. that seems to take it as a how-to manual for oppressing minorities and women. They're already stopping people who are going to Canada and searching their vehicles, asking more pointed questions - and those are on the American side, not the Canadian border agents.

How long before pregnant women won't be allowed out of the U.S.?

So propaganda is a valid part of a fiction story, whether original or fanfic. The author may intend it for a particular audience of readers, or may hope to get a general audience thinking about some concept in the story. And of course there's the in-universe effect on the characters.

I find one of the hardest things with multiculturalsim is, even more than different priorities, is when one group places a much higher priority on an issue that another group.

As someone who lives in a multicultural country, this is true to a large extent. Someone from a particular background might run for a party you favor, but due to the emphasis they place on certain issues that you might not agree are important, it will affect whether or not you want to vote for this person and will opt for someone else.

This is why I changed my usual voting habit in the recent Canadian federal election. I wasn't wholly convinced that a couple of candidates I might have preferred were completely on board with what is good for the country, so I ignored them and went with another candidate for a party I haven't voted for in years. I was able to vote with a clear conscience.

 

[Shawnster]

Propaganda isn't limited to totalitarian governments.

What is propaganda? In this context, it is the use of biased or misleading information to manipulate the way people think and act. Some equate propaganda with “lies, distortion, deceit, manipulation, mind control, [and] psychological warfare” and associate it with “unethical, harmful, and unfair tactics.”—Propaganda and Persuasion.

How dangerous is propaganda? It is insidious—like an invisible, odorless, poisonous gas—and it seeps into our consciousness. Because we may not see propaganda for what it is, behavior specialist Vance Packard observed: “Many of us are being influenced and manipulated—far more than we realize.” Under its influence, says one scholar, men and women have been “quite easily led into the most preposterously dangerous behaviour”—such as ‘genocide, war, racist hysteria, religious intolerance and many other forms of irrational behaviour.’—Easily Led—A History of Propaganda.

Biased or misleading information to manipulate the way people think and act. Biased. Spin. Highlight one sides virtues while downplaying it's flaws. Highlight the other side's flaws while downplaying it's qualities.

When Advertising Becomes Propaganda
Advertising crosses into propaganda when:

It promotes political or nationalistic goals under the guise of product marketing.

It uses fear, misinformation, or dehumanization.

It’s part of a larger campaign to shape cultural or social norms (e.g., wartime ads, or ads promoting unsustainable lifestyles as normal).